One Last Chance
by Owlsweety
Summary: An alchemist is discovered living in Central City by the homunculi. But why is she important? And what secrets does she hold? EnvyxOC story is much better than summary.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: One thing: Just so I know you actually know what's going on and have read this author's note, type "I am Edo-chan" at the end of your review. That idea was taken from Blue Neonlightshow, and I'm sorry if you get offended Neon, but I kinda need it this time. Now, for those of you who have read my other story, A Case Of Writer's Block, I have a few things to clear up.**

**First of all, I changed the name of my OC. I'm sorry, the original name was just not working for her, I kept calling her something else. So her name is now Rachel Armanda. Also, her age has been upped a bit, to age 14, and her back-story is different, as well as her place in the story. A lot has changed since I started writing CWB, and things are a little different.**

** And that leads me to something else: I may be deleting CWB. I'm so sorry, I do know how I can continue this story, but I just can't WRITE it, no matter how hard I try. And it was written on absolutely no inspiration, when I was new to FFN and I wanted to write something. I was a n00b and I admit it. I still am a n00b, but I have evolved a little bit in my writing and my characters. So, in short, I've outgrown CWB. I could still probably continue it if I really, really wanted to, but I don't. I have so many new ideas, and so many things to do, and I can't manage a story like this.**

** Oh, this won't be the last of Rachel. I'm not leaving FFN. And I will still write EnvyxOC, just because I love it and there are not enough of well-written stories involving it on FFN. I'm not saying I'll be able to write a good story, but hey, I can try.**

** So, CWB will be left up for a little while, at least until I make my final decision about it. If you object to me taking it down, you can leave a review about it, but I doubt that anybody cares it about it that much.**

** Anyway, I have this one to worry about! I hope you guys enjoy this new story, and any other stories to come!**

**See you later!**

**-Owl**

"Brother? Did you hear what I said?"

Ed snapped out of his trance and turned to the younger Elric. "Huh?"

Al sighed. "Honestly brother, can you listen to me for once? I asked you to remind me why we are going to Central."

Ed scowled. "Well, for one, I have to report to that pathetic excuse for a Colonel, and two, I have to turn in my research notes."

Alphonse nodded. "Alright. Are you okay, brother? You've been spacing out a lot today."

Ed was silent for a moment. He turned towards the window. "I've just been thinking…do you remember Marcoh?"

"Yes," Replied Al.

"And Tucker?"

Al went quiet for a second. "Yes."

"And…."

"Dad? Of course brother."

Ed winced as he heard Al call _that man_ their father, and then looked at his brother. "Well, that's a lot of alchemists. They were just scattered around, and some of them hid themselves so we didn't even know about them. So I started to wonder—How many Alchemists do you think are living in Central City?"

Alphonse began to ponder this. "Well, considering the amount of skill and studying alchemy requires, as well as the amount of materials you need to have for it…I have no clue brother…Three? Maybe four?"

"I was thinking about one or two," Ed replied.

Al smiled (or attempted to). "But most likely, none."

"Yeah." Ed relaxed and looked out the window again. "Most likely none."

_(...)_

Rachel sighed as the hot water of the shower ran down her back, soaking her long, light brown hair. She loved water. It was a symbol of life, and the element she chose to manipulate (Of course, she told herself, scientifically, it wasn't a single element at all). And the shower was one of the most inviting of all places, with the sacred lifeblood of the world running down her body, offering a warm gateway into her thoughts.

She had been seeing reports of violence all over Central, and had seen it affecting the citizens of the city. Mr. Kuso, her Xingese friend who owned a wonderful restaurant, had admitted to her the other day his fear of these bouts of criminal activity.

"I'm afraid of these people," he had told her anxiously. "They could hurt me or others I care about."

"Don't worry," She reassured him. "It's the military's job to put a stop to these things, right? They'll take care of it."

"I sure hope so," He remarked grimly, and continued talking to customers.

Rachel sighed again and started washing her hair. Sure, she would be sad if Mr. Kuso or anybody close to her were hurt or killed, but she could deal. It wasn't like she wasn't used to tragedy anyway…

She shook her head. No. She would not let herself think about that.

She finished and turned off the faucet. As she stepped out and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, she heard the familiar voice of Jacob Fitzhammer coming from downstairs.

"Rachel! I'm not kidding! I'm coming up there to check, and if there is _any_ water on the floor of the bathroom, I am going to postpone teaching you about drawing hair for a week!"

Rachel quickly looked around the bathroom and winced. As usual, she was unable figure out how to get the rings holding up the shower curtain over the one bumpier part of the rod, and as a result, the curtain was not close properly and there were gigantic puddles of water all over the floor.

She groaned. The last time she did this, Jacob had kept his promise and had postponed this one special lesson. She really wanted him to teach her how to draw hair. Whenever she tried to draw beautiful, gorgeous locks, they always ended up looking like crabgrass. Jacob had teasingly suggested that she drew individual, spiky strands because she was interested in men with long, spiky hair. And even when she punched him in the arm for making such a comment, she had to acknowledge that she wasn't getting anywhere on her own. She so desperately wanted that lesson.

She looked around and noticed that her stick of lip balm was resting where it usually was on the counter. She grabbed it and immediately began to draw a circle on a dry part of the floor.

She could hear Jacob coming up the stairs. "I'm coming! You hear me? _One drop_, and you won't learn about it for a week!"

She worked fast and threw away the balm. She clapped her hands together and slammed them down on the circle.

Within moments, atoms and molecules separated and mixed with new ones, and the water evaporated into the air. Rachel stood and wrapped the towel tighter around herself as the door to the bathroom opened.

In walked Jacob, his long blonde hair tied back into a short ponytail, his crystalline blue eyes inspecting the tile beneath him. "Hmm…" He looked at the floor, and Rachel held her breath, realizing that in her rush she had neglected to wipe away the transmutation circle. If he noticed it…

He looked up at her. "Finally. You have earned your lesson. Meet me downstairs tomorrow and we will start."

Her heart soared as he turned around to leave. Just as he was about to, something caught his eye. He bent down to pick up the balm, and her heart dropped again.

He turned and raised an eyebrow at her. He then noticed the somewhat sticky substance was also in front of his pupil, drawn in the special pattern that betrayed its purpose.

He looked at her. "Two weeks." And he walked out.

She gawked and ran after him. "Come on! I cleaned it up!"

He smiled teasingly at her. "Well, you practically lied to me, and that makes up for it. So two weeks."

She growled with frustration as he headed down the stairs, snickering all the while.

_(...)_

Envy was walking peacefully along the tunnels when he noticed his sister also strolling by his side.

"What is it, Lust?" He yawned and stretched. He hadn't been able to sleep very well the past few nights, and though he was a homunculus, it was started to take its toll.

His sibling glanced at him for a second before looking forward again. "Father would like us to investigate an alchemist living in Central."

Envy turned to her. "Huh? Why? Does he think he's eligible to be a sacrifice?"

Lust snorted. "Hardly. _She_ is much too mundane for that. Even her skills in alchemy are so very average. And she's not even an adult yet."

Envy stared. "Then why does Father think she's useful? There must be some reason."

"There is, in fact," Lust replied. She pulled out a manila folder from behind her back and handed it to Envy. As he looked through it, his eyes widened slightly. He looked at her. "Is this?..."

"Yes," she nodded. "It is indeed. Wrath was ordered to retrieve it."

Envy shook his head. "But if this is true…then that might mean…"

"Never mind what it might mean," snapped Lust suddenly. "What it does mean is that we must follow Father's orders, and you must find a way to lure her to us."

"Why me?"

"Because you can easily change shape and will be able to take the form of someone she trusts better than a sketchy looking civilian." Lust then turned on her heel and walked away from Envy. "Spy on her for a few days to learn her friends and how she interacts with them, and then make your move. Don't mess up." And with that, Envy's sister disappeared down the dark tunnel.

Envy growled. "Geez, hostile much? She must've had a bad day…"

He looked at the files in his hand and opened them. "Alright, what was her name again?...Ah, that's right."

He closed the folder, and grinned when he imagined all ways he and his siblings might torture this girl into submission. He laughed. Oh, he could almost hear her screams as he imagined him slaughtering her friends before her eyes! Or would they let him drag a blade down her back, occasionally jutting it in a little? Ah so many things he could do to this poor human! What a marvelous prospect.

He smiled that wicked, sadistic smile that all who knew him recognized so well.

"Rachel Armanda, I am coming for you."

**P.S. How many of you would choose to be The Chapstick Alchemist? I know I would. ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! You probably want to kill me now, for not updating for so long…It's been, what, 5 months? Yeah….**

**Anyway, I've been doing a lot of stuff…Have you guys been to my deviantart? Check me out; my name is Owlsweety on there too. **** /shot for spam**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

The train came to a stop. Ed grabbed their bags and headed out of the station, closely followed by Al. Central station was a place that they were familiar with, but today it seemed a little different. Things were quieter, and murmurs of uneasy conversation were heard everywhere. Something was wrong.

Eventually they went through the streets, walking into a marketplace. Even here things were unusual. Finally, Ed decided to bring Al's attention to it.

"Hey Al?"

"Yes brother?"

"What's wrong here? Everything seems a little quiet…"

Alphonse looked around. "I noticed that…I did here there were several mysterious cases of people getting hurt in this part of the city. Maybe that's where it's coming from?"

Ed nodded. "Maybe…"

_(...)_

A small cat rubbed up against Rachel's leg. She bent down to pet it. While she always had trouble actually keeping a pet, she had always had a fondness for the alley cats.

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing?" she cooed. "Would you like to go shopping with me?"  
The cat purred as if it was responding. Rachel smiled and opened the door, grabbing her coat, artist bag and wallet before walking outside on her way to the market.

It was a beautiful day outside. The skies were a clear blue and the sun was shining. Of course, just because it was a sunny day didn't mean that the moods of the citizens of Central were sunny as well. On the contrary, people seemed as unhappy as a lion that had missed his prey.

"Those attacks seem to be taking a toll on all of us…" Rachel muttered. She walked up to a booth selling fresh fruit and began to look at the apples. It wasn't until she picked up a particularly red one that she turned around to pay for it—and noticed an equally red coat standing behind her.

"What a strange person…and he's wearing such peculiar clothes…" She accidentally said aloud. The clerk looked at her incredulously.

"Do you know who that is? That's Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist!" He hissed at her.

Rachel blinked. "Oh wow…A state alchemist? But he's so young…"

The clerk grinned. "They say he passed the State Alchemy Exam at the age of eleven! Talk about a prodigy!"

Rachel nodded. She quickly paid the cashier for a bushel of the same type of apple she had been looking at and walked past the mysterious Edward Elric to get a closer look. What she found was, despite his strange appearance, he seemed to be a normal boy. His face looked about fifteen.

She shook her head. "He can't be fifteen," she told herself. "He's too short…"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING AN ATOM THAT IS SO SMALL IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY ELECTRONS TO CIRCLE AROUND IT?!"

Rachel jumped, so startle by the alchemist's loud voice that she dropped her entire bushel of apples. They bounced on the ground and rolled everywhere, in the way of passerby. One even rolled into a nearby alleyway.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry!" Rachel vehemently apologized to the alchemist and quickly bent down to pick up the fruit.

"Brother!" Rachel looked up in surprise to see that the giant suit of armor next to the boy was talking. "Don't startle people like that! You should help the poor girl pick up her stuff!"

Edward huffed before bending down to help Rachel. Finally, they both stood up.

"I-I'm very sorry I offended you," Rachel stammered.

He sighed. "Nah, it's okay, I shouldn't have reacted like that." He looked at her in curiosity. "Do you live around here?"

Rachel nodded. "I do. I live in an apartment just downtown."

"Then could you tell us why people seem so…uneasy around here?" He inquired cautiously. "It's just that we've been here before, and people weren't as quiet as they are now."

Rachel's face darkened. "There's been a series of violent attacks around here. We're not quite sure who's been the cause of it, but many victims seemed to be harmed for no reason, so everyone is frightened."

"And you aren't?"

She laughed. "Oh come on, I'm a normal human being! Truth is, I'm just as scared as anybody else."

He nodded. "Okay then. Thanks for the information miss…."

She stuck out her hand. "Call me Rachel."

He shook it. "Ed. And my brother here is Al."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ed and Mr. Al." She smiled and let go of his hand. "Well, I suppose state alchemists are very busy…I won't bother you too much any longer."

Ed smiled back and waved. He didn't seem to unnerved that she knew who he was. _Maybe he's so famous that he's used to it_, Rachel thought. "Hate to say it, but yeah. Goodbye Rachel."

The armor waved. "Bye miss." And they both walked off.

Rachel breathed. "I can't believe I was just talking to a state alchemist!" She exclaimed. She checked her watch to discover that it was near noon. "Oh! I better finish up with groceries and then set up shop. Jacob did say he wanted me home by four."

She quickly bought a few more things and then ended her shopping trip. She then chose a particular place in the street and set her items down. She reached into her bag and pulled out a blanket, her sketchbook, a case of pencils, brushes, paints, canvas, and an easel. She then lay the blanket on the ground, stacked her paints and pencils next to each other. She set up her easel and put her canvas on it, and then sat down, opened her paints, grabbed a brush and proceeded to paint the sketch she had drawn earlier. She was just about to finish painting a face of a figure when she heard a familiar voice.

"So…you are still working on that one piece?"

Rachel looked up. "Mr. Kuso! I didn't expect you to be here!"

The Xingese man waved his hand. "I know you come here every day to paint and sell your art, so I decided to come by for visit!" He gestured to the basket hanging from his arm. "Do you mind if this old man sits down with you? I brought some food for us to enjoy." His face turned into a false form of worry. "You haven't come to my restaurant for a while, so I was worried that you didn't like my food anymore."

Rachel laughed. "Oh Mr. Kuso, I will never stop loving what you cook! I've been busy with some lessons from Jacob." She patted the spot next to her on the blanket. "Please sit; I would love your company."

The old man sat down and offered her some food. They ate in silence for a few minutes while Rachel painted and Mr. Kuso watched her. All sorts of people rushed by, some carrying children and some walking with lovers, and still some walking alone. Several glanced at the female artist's work, and a few even stopped for a few seconds, but none were doing more than looking.

Finally, Mr. Kuso started a conversation. "You know, your piece is very interesting."

"Oh really?"

"Yes," he replied. "One part looks like the view of this very street, but in the alleyway is a group of cloaked figures looking like they performing ritual."

Rachel stopped painting and leaned back to take a closer look at her work. She realized that the scene was exactly as Mr. Kuso described. One the right side was the bustling and bright street of the market, but on the left was a dark and mysterious alleyway. In the alleyway were several cloaked figures, each with their hoods up over their heads so that their faces were hidden. They were standing on a design that looked much like the transmutation circles Rachel knew so well, and they were all holding hands. Rachel counted the figures and realized that there were exactly seven.

She blinked. Even in the sketch stage, she had not realized the image her painting portrayed. Where did that come from?

She shook her head. "Huh. I never noticed that before. I suppose my mind wanders too much into alchemy these days."

Mr. Kuso smiled. "That is not a problem. Speaking of alchemy, how are young Rachel's studies going?"

Rachel sighed. "Not so well I'm afraid. I've been trying to master taking water from the air, but I've been trying so hard and still I can only do it in the presence of steam. I'm planning on going to the library later today to do some research on it."

"Really? Sounds very interesting." Yawned Mr. Kuso, which revealed that he was only being polite. He picked up his basket and stood up, brushing the crumbs off the front of his coat. "Well, I really would love to stay and be with you the entire afternoon, dear Rachel, but my employees are probably not happy that I snuck out back door. I deeply regret it, but I must leave."

Rachel smiled. "See you, Mr. Kuso. Hope you have a nice day."

Mr. Kuso smiled back. "And you as well, Rachel." And with that he left.

Rachel checked the time. It was already getting close to four, so if she wanted to do any research on alchemy at the library, she had better pack up now.

She took one last look at her painting before cleaning off her brush and putting it back into the case. She quickly sprayed a chemical to fix the paint she had on already (a technique she had come up with herself) and put it into her bag. Soon following the canvas into the bag were the pencils, sketchbook, paints, easel, and finally the blanket. She closed her bag and grabbed her groceries before heading to Central library.

Rachel entered Central library and immediately liked the level the noise was at. Although this was a library, some days she came in and it had more people in it, which, despite efforts, created more noise. Today it was almost silent, which not only meant a more peaceful environment but also less people. Rachel couldn't be happier, as usually more people included annoying and bratty children running up and down the aisles.

She went up to the librarian, who was currently in the process of putting books back onto the lower shelves. "Hello, I was wondering whether you would have any books on alchemy."

The librarian looked at her. "Why of course! Let me show you." She finished putting the books on the shelves and showed Rachel where the books were. Rachel thanked her, grabbed a few books and sat down at a table to read.

After a few hours, she had gained sufficient information about her problem. She checked her watch again and decided that it was time for her to head home. She put the books away and picked up her bags while walking out the door.

She finally arrived at her apartment building and opened the door. As she went in, however, she noticed that the cat that she had started out the day with had mysteriously disappeared. "That's strange…where could it have gone?"

_(...)_

Envy slipped into the alley and shifted out of his feline form into the form he usually preferred. He picked up the apple that had rolled into the alley earlier when Rachel dropped her bag and munched on it while leaning against the wall. He contemplated this new target that Lust had told him to lure to them.

Rachel Armanda was going to be extremely tricky. She knew her friends way too well, and asked them too many complicated questions. If he turned into one of her friends, he would have an extremely hard time faking it. And he probably wouldn't be able to use the animal trick again, since he could tell that her intuition was extremely well-honed and if he showed up again, she would notice something that would make her uneasy.

But he had to complete this task. What could possibly be something he could use to lead her to them?

It dawned on him. He would have to become an entirely new person, a new persona. Someone who Rachel Armanda hadn't met before.

He threw the apple core onto the ground and walked off. This would be an interesting mission. He could tell.

**P.S. Guys, the Chapstick Alchemist was a joke…not a part of the story…heheh…**

**Edit: Mr. Kuso's bad grammar was on purpose. It was supposed to portray that he's not from Amestris. Just informing you guys.**


End file.
